Finalmente a la mesa. El consumo de pescado en el mundo fenicio-púnico

Abstract

With the arrival of the product at its destinations the final stage of the economic cycle of fishing began. We do not have much information which allows us to understand the preparation and consumption of the marine products in the Phoenician-Punic world. Greco Latin authors reported the marine wealth of the Mediterranean, the most striking species, and the Semite’s skill in their capture. Likewise, we have a series of literary references about the quality and qualities salted fish and the salsamente originated from Cadiz – a mark of distinction which would encompass a large part of the western Phoenician-Punic industrial production – and the number of industrial establishments dedicated to fish and the industrial transformation of sea products we know of gets higher and higher. Nevertheless, we know almost nothing about their consumption. The presumption that marine products formed part of the daily Phoenician and Punic diet, populations dedicated to the sea, both from a cultural point of view and by their sea oriented economy; has been certified, thanks to the more regular archaeozoological studies. We now know what species were the most liked, the variety of these, the selection techniques, the regional differences between areas, etc., but we continue to know very little about the way it was eaten. We suppose that in coast areas the consumption of fish, shell fish and fresh molluscs would have been more important than that of salted fish, without the depreciation of these, but how was it cooked? In what container was fish prepared, served and finally eaten? In this work we will try to answer these questions through the functional analysis of the various ceramic forms involved in the process, from the varied amphora morphologies where the industrial derivatives of fish –salted fish, sauces- , down to the crockery used at the table for its consumption, placing special emphasis on a form, known as “fish plate” which is traditionally related directly to the consumption of this food; not forgetting the kitchenware required for the prior preparation and cooking of it, the service methods used to present it on the table and the small auxiliary containers which would contain the spices and sauces which would accompany the dishes.